[GZG] GZG ECC XII: Saturday Morning AAR

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0 Operation Galahad: Communications Difficulties

http://www.warpfish.com/gzgecc/gzgecc12/sched-sat1.shtml#TABLE6

4 Players lined up to lead the 22nd SAS (4 sections) and their attached
Gurkhas section in a quiet raid on an ESU communications center on Lancelot to
try to capture key communications codes and force compositions of the
defenders.

Mike Hudak - SAS Command Section (CO, Pl Sgt, EW Op, 2 cas-aids, sniper
team)
SAS squad 1 - Tom Ball
SAS squad 2 - Randy Stoda
SAS squad 3 - (blankness - help?)
Gurkha squad - Bob Makowsky (still working hard)

ESU - GM

Team snuck on the board, using terrain and some cautious movement (and some
luck) to avoid being fully spotted by ESU patrols early. They discovered ESU
patrols to their front and rear. They did eventually alert to separate ESU
squads, but only to the point where they went to take a closer look (aka 'to
get ambushed by silenced weapons and eliminated'). During this early action, a
prisoner was taken giving enemy strength at around 40.

During the advance, one of the sensor clusters on the base eventually spotted
the gunfire from an SAS squad and opened fire (ineffectually). Other turrets
opened up on SAS and Gurkhas in the woods, generating some suppression and a
wound or two, but not getting much traction.

The SAS responded with showers of IAVR/GMS systems, breaking through
hostile jamming to destroy most of the facilities weapon turrets. A close
assault by one of the SAS squads took one quadrant of the building complex.

About the same time, the ESU was engaging with two squads of infantry, a squad
of commisars with dogs, and a fireteam of PA was making its way into one of
the quadrants to engage the NAC invaders.

The NAC forces continued to push their attack, with the Gurkhas storming the
comm tower, capturing the comm techs, and beginning 'active persuasion'. The
Geneva Convention was apparently never translated into Nepalese.

A quotable quote that probably never made the quote board, from Bob Makowsky
(Gurkha leader to comm tech #2) (while holding up the severed family jewels
from comm tech #1):

"You can give us all of your comm codes and you can call orbit and tell them
everything is fine or you can get what he (comm tech #1) got..."

This tac proved instantly effective in persuading the comm tech to give up
useful intel..

The ESU powered armour fireteam prepared to storm the comm center from the
next quadrant, but the Gurkhas threw a demolition charge into that quadrant,
blowing it down and killing all 4 members of the ESU PA fireteam.

A second ESU PA fireteam closed with another entrance to get behind the SAS
squad that had entered. The SAS saw them coming and planned a cunning
trap -
they fired their rifles wildly at the PA to attract their attention, then fled
into the building, drawing the SAS in after them, leaving a demo charge in the
quadrant as they fled to the next quadrant. BOOM. Another quadrant destroyed,
4 more ESU PA dead.

By this point, any remaining ESU squads were leaderless (commissars had been
killed or captured by two SAS fireteams) and the remaining squads were still
separated returning from patrol. So they held back and decided to let the NAC
alone (bugging them seemed to get you dead).

The SAS and the Gurkhas recognized their peril and revectored their evac bird
to land out front of the partly demolished complex, in a debris laden field.
Unfortunately, this proved terminal to the VTOL's engine systems (Mike Hudak
rolled double 1's....) and the VTOL crew became foot infantry.

End Result: SAS major victory (strategic) and minor victory (tactical). It's a
major victory because they captured some officers and NCOs and techs, captured
log books and signal intel, captured unit intelligence, and
demolished the facility. They did this taking no more than 2-3 wounded,
maybe 1 dead and inflicting at least three infantry squad's worth of
casualties and one PA squad's worth of PA casualties. It's only a tactical
minor victory because they did destroy some additional intelligence they could
have captured (when blowing up the PA to forestall close assault) and because
they'll have to walk out (using E&E training) or hold out to wait for another
ride, which means fighting more ESU ground units and any further
reinforcements.

An excellent job by the players, some inventive (and sound) tactics, and some
funny moments (the VTOL crash, Bob's highly effective interrogation style,
etc). Thanks to all my players.

TomB